Back to the Future (1985)

Genre: Comedy / Science-Fiction

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson

Running time: 116 minutes

Marty McFly is a teenage aspiring musician who hangs out with an oddball scientist, Doc. Emmett Brown. One night, Doc. Brown summons him to the town’s shopping mall where he unveils a time machine he built from a modified DeLorean car. It is powered with plutonium the scientist stole from Libyan rebels. When these rebels arrive to seek out revenge and shoot his friend, Marty gets in the car to escape but he activates the time machine and is sent back to 1955. That’s when he will come in contact with his future parents, as high school students, and cause a breach in history. Before he finds a way to come back to 1985, with a time machine out of fuel, he will need to repair the damage done to his own history and make sure his parents do fall in love and end up with each other.

Back to the Future is a guilty pleasure of mine, as I’m sure it is the case for a lot of people from my generation and beyond. Yes, there is a certain dose of cheesiness to the whole deal, but it is still such a good movie. Even years later, I find so much to enjoy in this flick.

Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd have such a great chemistry on screen as the two main characters. Fox was nearing his mid-twenties at that point, but he looked much younger. He was the perfect choice to play Marty McFly, bringing a boyish rebel charm to the role, with a nice touch of vulnerability. I’m sure he made skateboards more popular than ever after this came out.

Marty was a kid who did not necessarily fit in with the rest of high school students, other than his girlfriend, so it would be easy to believe that he would strike a friendship with Doc. Brown. Christopher Lloyd was such a great choice to play the scientist. He had already proven his ability for oddball comedy on Taxi, and, in Back to the Future, he brought to life the character he would be the most known for even 30 years later.

There is a little bit of everything in Back to the Future. It is a great mix of science-fiction, comedy and romantic comedy. The filmmakers did a great job illustrating the various time periods on screen. Whether it was 1955 or 1985, the transition was seamless and natural, and it all felt like a real voyage in time.

This is a film I have in my collection, and it will always be a pleasure to go back in time in the future to watch it again.

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